Proof
by Angelo Carter
Summary: Tony Stark felt like they needed a suit of armor around the world. But what he never realized was the suit of armor was never meant to be metal & menacing, it was meant to be human & compassionate. This is proof that the suit of armor Tony built around the world, were the fellow heroes he inspired and the people he saved.
1. Wanda

Wanda was conflicted.

On one hand, Tony Stark provided her with a home, a family & Vision.

And on the other hand, she found him to be self centered at times. Often operating out of fear instead of faith.

But if it weren't for Tony, She wouldn't have had Vision… so she'll always be grateful for that.

The Sokovia Accords… those became a different story.

The accords weren't handled properly due to Tony's fears… fears that she showed him way back when in Sokovia when her and Pietro first met the Avengers as enemies.

That was 8 years ago.

She couldn't help but feel kind of guilty. Maybe if she hadn't shown him those visions, he wouldn't have had to leave his Wife & Daughter.

But it was Tony's fear that made him become Iron Man.

It was Tony's fear of the future that gave her the love of her life.

And it was Tony's fear, that ultimately pushed him to sacrifice his life so the world could live without fear of half of all life disappearing again.…

All those thoughts be came way too overwhelming for the young hero and she began to feel a little sick

Wanda rubbed her temples and closed her eyes

"1. 2. 3. 4…"

"This isn't working" she thought

"Okay Maximoff, breathe"

"In… Out… In… Out"

"Hey Wanda you okay?" Clint questioned, as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Alarmed by the voice and touch, the crimson colored hero's eyes shot open and she lifted her hands to defend herself.

"I come in peace" Clint acquiesced with his hands up.

"I'm sorry" she apologized. "I'm just…

"Overthinking?"

Wanda turned her head in embarrassment before she kept going

"8 Years ago, I showed him that vision of the world ending and you all dead" Wanda emplaned quietly. "And I just feel like, maybe if I didn't show him the vision… He would be alive with his family right now."

"Thats one possibility" Clint concurred. "But then maybe there's no Vision… Maybe you two don't get the happiness you two had… even if it was only for a few months"

Clint placed his hand on her shoulder once more, comforting his friend before continuing

"You can't beat yourself up for things you did in your past… the only thing you can do is keep moving forward and make up for those things you did as you go."

Wanda began to tear up, Clint's words hitting her like a ton of bricks

"I'm sorry I just uh, I just need some air" she mumbled quickly and scrambled out of her seat, leaving Clint in the dust while trying to escape the noise in her head.

She slipped through all the fellow superheroes before finally making it out of the side door and lumbered on aimlessly until she stopped at the lake.

It was peaceful.

It reminded her of her life with Vision. What it could've been.

"Wanda? Are you alright"

Startled by the sudden presence, she turned quickly to find Pepper Potts-Stark staring back at her with concern written on her face.

Wanda relaxed and wiped her eyes before responding woefully "I feel like I should be asking you that question."

Pepper chuckled sadly before walking up next to Wanda & looking up at the lake.

There was a long comfortable silence before Pepper spoke up once more

"I've tried to prepare myself for this since Tony was captured in Afghanistan 15 years ago" Pepper sighed. "But you can never be ready"

Wanda sighed in unison before putting a comforting arm around Pepper, knowing all too well how hard it is to watch your loved one die in front of you

Pepper relaxed a little into Wanda's arm before continuing.

"One night, maybe a year after the accords situation, Tony wrote something to you" Pepper started

"Me?"

"Yeah. He wanted to send it but…"

Pepper trailed off grievously, and watched the lake move.

Wanda watched the lake move with her.

Peaceful & graceful

Just like Vision…

A lot like Tony in his final moments.

A few moments went by before she felt Pepper shift. She turned to face her and sure enough there was an envelope with Wanda written in neat cursive in the front.

She placed it in her friends hand and closed it. Wanda smiled softly and looked up at the widow.

"Thank You"

Pepper smiled & nodded before returning to the other Superheroes in her lake house, leaving the scarlet witch by herself.

Wanda watched her return and waited until she was alone before opening the letter & reading

_Wanda,_

_We never got a chance to get to know each other. And I'm sorry for that. When Ultron decided to attack, we had to just go. And then I decided to retire once you became a permanent member of the team. Once the accords situation happened, It really was to protect you. I didn't want you to feel trapped, I just didn't want people to attack you and for you to feel like you were consistently being watched and made sure you did something wrong._

_I'm sorry about your parents. Weapons were being dealt under the table by a former associate of mine. I thought I was doing the right thing when I created them… but It took three months in a cold, wet and dark cave in the middle of Afghanistan to realize that I was meant for more than weapons. I'm sorry for all the pain that I caused you in your past. You are incredibly strong willed. And your powers are badass. If and when we finally reunite the Avengers, I'm hoping I can say all this to you in person._

_Tony._

It took until she saw teardrops on the page to realize that she was crying.

Tony Stark may have been a pain in the ass. But he was a man with integrity. And the man who saved the universe.

She wiped her eyes before folding the letter and placing it in her pocket.

"We won't fail you Tony."


	2. Bucky

Bucky's life has been incredibly interesting.

Growing up, he was the big one and Steve was his skinny best friend who always wrote checks his ass couldn't cash

In the 40's he was enlisted but a couple of months later was captured by Hydra. He was tested on and used as a lab rat for their devious experiments. Tortured & battered, he truly thought he was gonna die in the hands of the Nazi organization... until he was woken up by Steve. Who was 6'5 and jacked now.

Having been rescued by his best friend, He worked along side him until that one fateful day where Hydra blew him off of a speeding train moving through the mountains and recovered the remains.

Over the years following, he was brainwashed and used as a hydra assassin named "The Winter Soldier." They used him at will, freezing & unfreezing him to serve them.

And that's what he did. He killed innocents, destroyed legacies, and shaped the world in Hydra's image.

There are two specific points he remembers vividly during his time as the Winter Soldier.

December 16th, 1991… & April 6th, 2014

The day he killed Howard & Maria Stark…

& the day his Best Friend pulled him out of the darkness.

One minute he was tearing through Shield agents to comply with Hydra's mission.

Next minute, he was pulling his best friend out of the Potomac.

Broken memories and forgotten dreams plaguing his mind for the following two years until that rodent Zemo made his life a living hell

He posed as him. Blamed a bombing on him, used the goddamn trigger words to turn him into the Winter Soldier again, all to use that to not only break up the Avengers, but tear apart the friendship that was formed between Tony & Steve

Tony?

Stark?

He didn't know what he should call him at this point.

He really didn't know the guy all that well.

They fought at the airport, then he found them in Siberia, worked with them for all of 5 minutes before Zemo played that stupid video and ended the alliance.

He tried to kill him in Siberia. Which is understandable seeing as how he was within arms length of the man who murdered his parents.

It was pure rage and anger and it blinded Tony & he kept fighting until Steve beat him.

Steve grabbed him and they escaped the frozen tundra

He remembers feeling guilty about causing so much strife between Steve & Tony.

He also remembers Steve being sad for a few days. It was almost like clockwork watching Steve leave for some "air" when in reality he just wanted to cry freely.

Bucky didn't stop thinking about Howard & Maria Stark until they got back to Wakanda & was put back under.

After that fateful day, he thought he'd never see Tony again.

He wanted the opportunity to at least get to apologize when Tony wasn't letting rage answer all of his questions

But it wasn't for another 7 years before he'd see Stark again. Wielding the Infinity Stones and snapping away Thanos & his forces before succumbing to his injuries.

Life always had a funny way of kicking Bucky right in the ass

But here he was, at the funeral of the man (who's parents he killed) who saved the universe...

Sam asked him if he was gonna wear a suit earlier but he just shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know"

And that was the truth.

He didn't know what to think.

Would he have even wanted Bucky there?

Would he have given him the opportunity to apologize?

It was all just too much to think about.

And now an apology would fall of deaf ears.

He stood toward the back with Sam, & Wanda and watched the veil float out to the end of the river until they couldn't see it anymore.

All the heroes and their families slowly walked back into the lake house but Bucky hesitated

"You coming" Sam asked

Bucky nodded silently before responding

"Nah I think I'm good here for now"

Sam nodded before following Wanda and the rest of the heroes into the lake house behind Pepper & their daughter

He sat there & stared at the lake for what seemed like hours. It was peaceful & quiet. He could see why someone like Tony would want to live here. Away from the noise of New York City

"Hey what are you doing out here? Everyone's inside."

The young but familiar voice snapped James out of his thoughts and he turned toward where the sound came from.

He couldn't be older than 16

"Your voice... it's really familiar"

"Yeah we uh... we met in Germany" Peter said and it finally dawned on Bucky who that was

"You're that Spider... kid from the airport aren't you?"

"Spider-Man" Peter corrected him begrudgingly

"...But my friends call me Peter"

A small smile crept upon Bucky's face.

Friends

Steve is his best friend. I guess Shuri & T'Challa were his friends too. Him & Sam seemed to just bark at each other & he didn't know Wanda that well but I guess they were his friends too.

"Bucky"

"Wait... you're the-"

"Winter Soldier... Yeah" Bucky quietly and guiltily responded, hoping to God he didn't kill this kids parents as well.

"I was going to say the howling commando with the cool metal arm... but I guess that name works too"

Bucky was immediately caught off guard. It was very rare (or never) that people remembered him as a commando

"Oh. Yeah. That was me."

Buck nodded before turning his head back toward the river. He moved the edge of his coat over to him and Peter decided to sit down.

There was a long silence before Peter spoke up.

"I can't believe he's really gone."

Bucky didn't know how to answer that.

"Was he family to you?"

"Not by blood. But he was my mentor and kind of a surrogate dad to me"

Bucky nodded along while Peter spoke about his relationship with Tony, somehow becoming really interested in this kids life.

"Where's your real dad?" Bucky questioned

Peter slightly deflated at that question but answered the super soldier.

"I uh... I never actually knew my parents. My aunt & uncle took me in when I was 3 and I never saw them again."

Bucky digested the answer and started to feel bad for the kid. Being abandoned by your parents at 3 must have sucked.

"So that lady is your aunt I'm assuming"

"Yeah, that's my Aunt May. One of the greatest people I know"

"Where's your uncle?" Bucky asked & almost immediately wanted to take back after seeing Peter flinch lightly.

Peter swallowed thickly and turned away

"Hey Peter, sorry if that hit a nerve I didn't mean to make you upset" Bucky apologized.

"No, no it's okay" he reassured the former Assassin.

"My uncle he died in 2015."

"I did something really stupid when I was a kid & he paid the price for my selfishness..."

Bucky felt compelled to comfort the kid as silent tears started to slowly fall down his face

Peter wasn't sure why he said what he said, but he felt oddly comfortable with him.

He wiped his eyes quickly and apologized for crying.

"Don't apologize kid, I get it." The super soldier consoled

"I've done things too. Hurt people. Destroyed families. And I know that I wasn't in control but... sometimes it feels like it was me who did those things. Sometimes it feels like I'm not in control now."

The guilt in Bucky's voice was palpable. He had no idea why he was pouring his heart out to this kid. But he felt strangely comfortable with Peter. He was a kid who couldn't judge him based on his past

Peter looked up at him slowly.

"When My Uncle Ben died, I didn't know how to channel my guilt and grief, so I decided to use my powers for good and become Spider-Man." Peter lamented

"And Mr. Stark. He… he helped me find my way and figure out how to be a hero."

"I don't know if I can be that" Bucky doubted

"You can be whoever you want. I know it's hard to let go of the things you may have done. I watched my uncle die because of my own selfishness. I made a choice to be who I am now, you can make a choice too."

"It was cool to meet you Bucky"

Peter got up and left him sitting there.

Bucky sat there by himself for what felt like hours.

Tony Stark taught a kid to channel his grief into truly being something good.

Tony Stark taught a kid how to be a hero

Bucky smiled to himself before standing up.

He never got a chance to apologize for killing Stark's parents, and causing the death of so many others... but maybe... today. He could become something more. Better than who he used to be.

A Hero


End file.
